


The Greatest Gift

by circesattendant



Category: Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23443321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/circesattendant/pseuds/circesattendant
Summary: Billy and Teddy aren’t so good at gift shopping...
Relationships: Teddy Altman/Billy Kaplan
Kudos: 15





	The Greatest Gift

**Author's Note:**

> this is a repost of my fic for the Young Avengers Holiday Gift Exchange from 2017 im just trying to get my acc sorted :)

Teddy watched through tired eyes as Billy went back and forth between two gifts. He’d stopped trying to keep up with his husband three gifts ago when he couldn’t decide which shade of purple to get Kate’s gift in.  
“Teddy! I need help here, stop staring into space and tell me which one!” Billy was looking at him which a pathetically pained expression. Teddy had to stop himself from laughing.  
“I don’t know, the left one?” he shrugged. Billy expression fell into a glare.  
“Do you even know who these are for?”  
“Tommy?” it came out more a question than a statement as he smiled, hoping to charm his way out of this one.  
“Urgh I should have just left you at home” Billy groaned and turned back to the items in his hands.  
Teddy peered over Billy’s shoulder to look at the gifts, raising his eyebrow at the leather bond diary and baking cook book.  
“Ok, but seriously, who are these for?”  
“Cassie!” Billy spun around to once again glare at his husband.  
“Well, I say the leather book. Gives off Harry Potter vibes. I like it.” Seemingly satisfied with this, Billy put the cook book back and the diary in the cart. “Who’s next?”  
“Why am I the one who’s organised here?” Billy threw his hands up in despair “I don’t even celebrate Christmas!”  
“Hey, I am organised! I just- phased out for a minute” Teddy held his head high and began to push the cart further down the aisle, Billy laughing to himself as he followed. Teddy stopped halfway, turning his head over his shoulder and stage whispering, “Really though, who’s next?  
***  
Teddy hadn’t pegged Tommy as a guy who was hard to buy for, and yet here was standing in a shop he had already forgotten the name of looking at the strangest array of items he could have thought of. And none of them seemed like anything Tommy would appreciate. Billy had disappeared, leaving him to stare blankly at the yellow rubber duck in his hand seriously debating to just say to hell with it and say Katie chose it for him. Teddy had known the guys for years, he had brought him presents before, why was this so hard?  
To be fair both him and Billy were having a rough time on the gifting side of things this year. Billy reappeared at the end of the aisle dragging his feet as he shuffled towards the cart empty handed.  
“What does Eli even enjoy? Who even is he? Who even are we?” Billy all but yelled, drawing a few strange looks from passer byers. But Teddy had never related to anything more in his life.  
“I say we go home and get Kate to buy the presents for us,” Teddy set the duck back on the self and turned to face Billy “she love this kind of thing!”  
“No, we can’t. We’ve done that for everyone’s birthdays this year. Even for Kate’s!” Billy dropped his head into his hands groaning. “We just have to keep going. Also get the duck for Tommy we can say Katie chose it or him.”  
***  
Billy had gave up about ten minutes later and decided the only option was to get lunch and admire all three presents they had managed to buy that afternoon.  
“Wow. We are bad at this, huh?” Teddy let out a breathy laugh as he set down his paper coffee cup.  
“So good. We now have a total of eight presents including the others at home. Which means we have about three quarters of our list left to buy for.”  
“I hate lists.” Billy sloughed down in his chair until his head hit the armrest and he was half on the floor. He felt more drained than after any spell he had ever cast. He was fully prepared to fall asleep right there but the waiter came with their food and he was forced to sit up, like the civilised human being he pretended to be. Also, the toasted sandwich looked really good.  
“I say we give up and just give everyone a picture of Katie.” Teddy suggested, finishing half his sandwich.  
“That is the best idea I have ever heard! Let’s go home!” Billy shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and leaving.  
“Billy, no! Billy, we have to pay!” Billy was long gone by then, marching towards their car determined to go home and go to bed.  
***  
Teddy caught up to him five minutes later slightly short of breath from running down the street.  
“Sorry, I got a bit excited about going home.” Billy stopped to let Teddy catch his breath but the man just laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and kissing his forehead.  
“You, my love, are insane.”  
Billy just wrapped his arm around his husband’s waist and continues his journey to their car at a more relaxed pace. Bill could honestly say he had never been more content with his life than right then in that moment. Wrapped up in his husbands embrace, on his way to where his brother and best friend were watching over his daughter. Also the toasted sandwich had been amazing.  
Once they reached the car, Teddy gently guided him in the direction of the passenger seat. As they drove through the restless city, a familiar song began to play softly from the speakers. A faint smile grew on Teddy’s face before Billy registered the change in song. It was too late. “AND I WOULD WALK 500 MILES!” Billy jumped violently at the noise, hitting his head in the low roof and cursing.  
“What th-“  
“AND I WOULD WALK 500 MORE!” Billy stared at his husband in shame. He retracted his earlier thoughts of contentment, he wanted a new husband.  
“JUST TO BE THE MAN WHO WALKED A THOASAND MILES TO FALL DOWN AT YOUR DOOR!”  
“Oh please, no.”  
“DA DA DA, DA DA DA!”  
Billy dropped his head into his hands to hide his laughter, except it didn’t work as well as originally planned and Teddy noticed. The rest of the journey was short a full of bad signing and Billy would have given anything to be anywhere but right next to his husbands obnoxious shrieking but he still couldn’t keep the smile off of his face as he walked into his apartment, arms notably empty of presents and Teddy trailing behind his happily humming the annoying tune to himself.  
He was greeted to the sight of Tommy, Kate and Katie wrapped up in a very intense game of snakes and ladders, none of them noticing their arrival. They both stood in the doorway in silence watching the strange scene in front of them in wonder. All three of them were completely engrossed in their game, eyes not wandering rom the board even for a second. Which was a small miracle for two out of three players.  
As Kate moved her counter up a ladder, a smug smile graced her features as Tommy slouched, mumbling disapproval. Billy tried to remain quiet, but the sight of his five-year-old daughter hitting his twin on the knee and telling him to grow up was just too much. The loud ring of laughter caught the attention of everyone else in the room. Katie ran towards him and Teddy wrapping her tiny arms around both their legs as best she could whilst he saw Kate point a mocking finger at Tommy whilst he stuck his tongue out at her.  
“How did shopping go?” Kate sipped her coffee turning her attention to Billy and Teddy.  
“It didn’t.” Teddy let out softy laugh as he made his way into the kitchen “We have decoded to give up and just send everyone a picture of Katie this year.”  
“This year? That’s what you’ve done the last three years.” Tommy pointed out, mouth full of food that definitely didn’t come from their fridge.  
“We’re just creative like that.”  
“Well, you got home just in time for everybody’s favourite movie!” over the top enthusiasm dripping from her words as Kate walked over to the coffee pot.  
“Elf?”  
“You bet!” the glee on Teddy’s face not even slightly forced as he rushed into the living room, hands raised in celebration and flopped down onto the sofa.  
“Weirdo.” Tommy muttered even as he followed him out of the kitchen. Billy looked to Kate who appeared very conflicted about leaving the coffee pot behind, but ultimately she chose Elf.  
“I also actually really like this movie.” She declared as she gently placed the pot back in its place as walked towards the sofas and bean bags. Billy smiled to himself as he made his way to the love seat where Teddy was sat, in-between the two arm chair Kate and Tommy were lounged across. Katie launched herself off the floor and on to her uncle as soon as he appeared to have made himself comfortable. Kate’s laughter drowned out his pained groans as Katie landed on his stomach, giggling.  
Billy watched in quiet amusement as he moved closer to teddy resting his head on his husbands shoulder as the movie started and Katie shushed Tommy, who was still complaining even if he showed no efforts to actually move the little girl from his abdomen.  
By the end of the movie both Katie and Tommy had fallen asleep in what looked to be a very uncomfortable position for everyone involved. There was a flash of light and Kate leaned over the arm of their chair to show him her phone screen.  
“I think I got your photo to give everyone this year.”


End file.
